Crafting your dream cottage is a great way to escape the busy city life, whether you want a lakeside cottage for weekend use or are planning on moving into a rustic log cabin surrounded by old-growth forest.
People often neglect technology’s role in crafting a remote cottage. While checking in on social media may not be top-of-mind when you’re cottage dreaming, you probably still want the convenience and enjoyment of a reliable internet connection. Smart lighting, appliances, and security all make a cottage cozier and safer while saving money on utility bills. With that in mind, let’s look at how to use technology to add value and comfort to your dream cottage.
Satellite Internet
Escaping the hustle and bustle of the modern world doesn’t mean complete isolation. A reliable high-speed internet connection is essential for keeping up with the news, communicating with loved ones, streaming videos, and accessing your favorite music service.
Rural internet options are a great option for rural areas that lack cable and fiber infrastructures. Depending on your location, you may have access to the following internet services:
- Satellite internet uses satellites to provide reliable high-speed internet to remote locations.
- DSL uses existing phone lines to deliver internet services. DSL offers relatively slow speeds, and is unavailable in remote locations not served by phone lines.
- Mobile internet uses cell phone towers to transmit internet signals as radio waves and is an option if your cottage is close enough to a cell tower.
Smart Homes
Smart homes include devices used to remotely control lighting, heating, security, and other home functions. Adding smart devices to your cottage helps keep it secure and energy efficient. Smart devices connect to each other and phone apps through your home internet Wi-Fi system.
Smart Lighting
Smart lighting includes light bulbs and switches that you can control through a phone app. Using the app, you can turn lights on and off remotely, create automatic lighting schedules, and set the brightness and warmth of lighting. Many smart lights also include motion sensors, which you can link to security cameras.
Smart Thermostats
Smart thermostats monitor heating and cooling systems. For instance, you can turn on the heat as you drive to the cabin, making it warm and inviting when you arrive. You can adjust temperature settings remotely in response to environmental factors, such as increasing the temperature during a sudden cold snap to prevent pipes from freezing.
Security Systems
Smart security systems are essential for remote cottages, especially if the cottage is a weekend retreat rather than your primary residence. Smart security cameras provide live streams of your property or start recording when motion detectors activate. Motion sensors can also turn on lights to further deter unauthorized entry.
Smart Locks and Doorbells
Smart locks are often keyless and open using keypads or voice commands. You can open and close the lock remotely and grant or revoke access authority to people as needed. When linked to your larger ecosystem of smart devices, opening a smart lock can turn on lights, music, and other functions.
Smart doorbells stream video and audio to your phone. You can talk to and see the person at the door and capture footage as needed.
Smart Home Sensors
If you’ll be away from your cottage for a while, smart home sensors can alert you to potential problems. We’ve already covered smart thermostats, but you can also install sensors that monitor humidity, air quality, vibration, activity levels, and whether windows are properly closed. Smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors push alerts to your phone so you can take quick action no matter where you are.
Smart Hubs
You can control individual smart devices from their respective apps, but that becomes time-consuming when you’re working with multiple devices. A smart hub is the central control for every device in the cottage. A smart hub acts as a communication center, allowing you to set a routine where an action by one device triggers an action by another. For instance, turning up the heat before you arrive at the cottage could also turn on the outside lights.
Tips for Making Your Cottage Tech-Friendly
Optimize your Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi signals have difficulty moving through large electronic appliances, walls, and heavy furniture, leading to dead zones and connectivity problems. A Wi-Fi extender or Mesh Nodes helps ensure your devices are online when needed.
Start Small
You don’t need to completely transform your cottage into a tech-friendly environment overnight. Start small, with devices like a smart hub, plugs, and smart light bulbs, and add more devices as time passes.
Choose an Ecosystem
Different smart devices don’t always work well together, so check compatibility before adding a new one. You can avoid uncommunicative devices by only using products that share a smart ecosystem, usually centered around a brand-name smart hub. Google, Amazon Alexa, and Apple HomeKit can all serve as the foundation of your ecosystem, with each brand offering a dizzying range of compatible devices.
Work within Your Wi-Fi Limits
Every smart device needs to connect to your cottage’s wireless network, which means each device consumes a small amount of bandwidth. Security cameras, especially, consume large amounts of bandwidth when streaming or uploading footage. Changing the camera’s settings to a lower definition reduces its bandwidth demands. You can also set the camera to only upload footage outside peak internet use times.
Prioritize Safety and Convenience
Your dream cottage should be a cozy getaway from the world, so choose smart devices that reinforce this feeling. Smart lights, voice-controlled speakers, smart outdoor plugs that control patio lights, a smart thermostat, and a security system will help you create the cottage of your dreams!
Smart Cottages Need Reliable Internet
Without reliable internet, smart devices are nowhere near as helpful. Satellite internet for rural areas is essential for remote cottages. Whether you’re a remote worker or relaxing, having Wi-Fi can help stay in touch with friends and family. An internet provider offering high-speed service with excellent customer support goes a long way toward building a tech-friendly cottage.
